The present application is a continuation in part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/812,579, filed on Mar. 21, 2001, now abandoned.
This invention relates to a use of a fermented Glycine max (L.) extract in inhibiting 15-lipoxygenase, preventing and/or treating a disease in which 15-lipoxygenase inhibition is implicated in a subject, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, immune disorders, such as asthma and or inflammation, and modulating the immune system. The invention also relates to a use of the fermented Glycine max (L.) extract in preventing and/or treating a microbe infection.
Lipoxygenases (LOX) are nonheme iron-containing enzyme that catalyze the oxygenation of certain polyunsaturated fatty acids such as lipoproteins. Several different lipoxygenase enzymes, e.g. LOX-5, LOX-12 and LOX-15, are known, each having a characteristic oxidation action. LOX-15 catalyzes the oxygenation of arachidonic and linoleic acids and has been implicated in the oxidative modification of low-density lipoproteins (LDL). Many researches reported that the LOX-15 is associated with coronary artery disease and atherosclerosis (Shen et al., J. Clin. Invest. 1996, Vol. 98, No. 10, pp. 2201-2208; Timo et al., 1995, Vol. 92 (11), pp. 3297-3303; Ravalli et al., 1995, Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, Vol. 15, No. 3, pp. 340-348; and Kuhn et al., 1997, J. Clin. Invest., Vol. 99, No. 5, pp. 888-893), cancer and inflammatory diseases Molecular Pharmacology, 56: 196-203; and Kamitani et al., 1998, the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol. 273, No. 34, pp. 21569-21577), and immune response (Kruisselbrink et al., 2001, Clin Exp Immunol, 126:2-8). Therefore, a substance having an efficacy in inhibiting LOX is useful as an agent for preventing or treating diseases associated with LOX.
Soybeans are one concentrated source of isoflavones in human diet. They also contain many compounds including saponins, phytosterols, soybean phytates, protease inhibitors, phenolic acids, complex sugars, boron, lecithin, omega-3 fatty acids and folic acid. They can impart health benefits. Many eastern traditional foods, such as tembe and natto, are produced from the fermentation of soybeans. For example, tembe is produced by fermenting soybean with Rhizopus oligosporus, R. oryzae, R. arrihizus and R. stolonifer. Natto is produced by fermenting soybean with Bacillus natto. The traditional fermented foods can be used as a superior protein origin. However, none of the prior art discloses that any known fermented soybean foods and soybeans have an efficacy in inhibiting 15-lipoxygenase LOX-15.
This invention relates to a use of a fermented Glycine max (L.) extract, which is prepared by fermenting an aqueous Glycine max (L.) extract with at least one lactic acid bacteria together with at least one yeast, in inhibiting 15-lipoxygenase (LOX-15).
One objective of the invention is to provide a method of inhibiting 15-lipoxygenase in a subject, comprising administering an effective amount of a fermented Glycine max (L.) extract to the subject in need of thereof, wherein the fermented Glycine max (L.) extract is prepared by fermenting an aqueous Glycine max (L.) extract with at least one lactic acid bacteria together with at least one yeast. Particularly, Glycine max (L.) is soybean or black soybean. More particularly, the fermented Glycine max (L.) extract of the invention include the fermented soybean extract and fermented black soybean extract.
Another objective of the invention is to provide a method of preventing and/or treating a disease in which 15-lipoxygenase (LOX-15) inhibition is implicated in a subject, comprising administering an effective amount of the fermented Glycine max (L.) extract to the subject in need of thereof. In particular, the fermented Glycine max (L.) extract of the invention can be used in preventing and/or treating a disease in which 15-lipoxygenase inhibition is implicated in a subject, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, immune disorders, such as asthma, inflammation, and modulating the immune system.
A further objective of the invention also relates to a method for preventing and/or treating a microbe infection in a subject, comprising administering an effective amount of the fermented Glycine max (L.) extract of the invention.